Is the business volume dimension the primary evaluation indicator?

JudgmentExport agentCore indicators of enterprise scale include:

• Annual TEU handling volume: Leading agencies handle over 50,000 TEUs annually (2025 maritime market standard)
• Annual declaration amount: Large agencies typically declare over $300 million annually
• Customer industry distribution: Covering 3 or more key industry sectors is considered strong comprehensive service capability

It is recommended to request agencies to provide screenshots of Customs Single Window data (with customer information redacted) to verify the authenticity of their business scale.

How to quantitatively assess financial strength?

The financial scale of foreign trade agencies directly affects business capacity:

• Registered capital: It is recommended to choose enterprises with paid-up capital exceeding 5 million yuan
• Working capital: Should have the ability to advance 20% of single transaction amounts
• Bank credit lines: High-quality agencies typically hold over 100 million yuan in bank trade financing credit lines

With cross-border RMB settlements accounting for 45% in 2025, special attention should be paid to agencies cross-border fund pool management capabilities.

What service capabilities does team configuration reflect?

• Customs declaration team:
  • 1 professional customs declarer is required per $10 million annual declaration amount
  • AEO-certified enterprises need dedicated customs compliance officers
• Document processing: Daily processing of 200+ documents is the baseline for medium-sized agencies
• Legal support: International trade dispute handling teams should include at least 3 certified lawyers

What key items are included in qualification certifications?

Authoritative certification systems are important evidence of scale:

• Customs AEO Advanced Certification (2025 new data security bonus points)
• China Customs Brokers Association 5A-level unit
• FIATAInternational freightAgency qualifications
• ISO28000 Supply Chain Security Management Certification

Verify the validity period of certifications, as some certification review standards have been upgraded starting from 2025.

How to verify regional coverage capability?

• Port coverage: Mainstream agents should cover over 70% of Chinas first-class ports
• Overseas network: Having 10+ self-operated customs clearance points in RCEP member countries is considered premium
• Customs coordination: Must integrate with at least 3 customs special supervision zone information systems

It is recommended to conduct on-site inspections of agents port operation centers to verify their localized service capabilities.

Practical recommendations for comprehensive evaluation

Recommended adoptionWeighted scoring method(Sample model):

• Business scale (30%): The average growth rate over the past three years should be 5% higher than the industry average
• Financial strength (25%): Verify the cash flow statement in the most recent annual audit report
• Qualification system (20%): Customs credit rating accounts for 50% of the scoring weight
• Regional network (15%): Focus on coverage density in target markets
• Emergency response capability (10%): Requires provision of major trade dispute handling cases

Special note: In 2025, the General Administration of Customs will implementthe agent classification management system, and it is recommended to prioritize publicly listed Class A service providers.